Bivvy Bags

[hobbitboy]

Looking for a bivvy bag go with my hootcie. Anybody recommend the best?
Military goretex seems load cheaper. Anyone used them?

[Adi007]

Military bivvy bags are robust and hard wearing but they are heavy. Here is a link to cheaper, lightweight bivvy bags - http://www.usmcpro.com/usmcgb/produi...effourni=TC214 - they aren't as robust though and no matter what you say about the military ones, they are tough!

[tomtom]

im told that the ones RAB do are good.. but i have no experience and i think you have to have one of their sleeping bags for it to fit!

[jamesdevine]

I just got one from Gary at Bearclaw and it doesn't appear to be that heavy when you compare to carrying a tent that is. For the price well worth it in my opinion.

James

[Great Pebble]

I heartily approve of the older green issue British ones.
The newer DPM one is supposed to be good also, although I've heard reports that the breathable fabric is not as good quality as the older type. The new ones are marginally larger though.

[hobbitboy]

How heavy is heavy? 700g? 1KG?

http://www.usmcpro.com/usmcgb/produ...reffourni=TC214

the "bivy breathe OG" looks good quite liking the insulated look of it, any one tried or know how the material compares to goretex on a breatheability scale? Or will it not make much difference? NEver used a bivy bag before so new to the whole crazy thing.......

[bambodoggy]

Hey,
I've served in the UK armed forces and used the older style OG Bivvie bag, they are a very good bit of kit indeed and can be used without a tarp cover if needed, they do rip but you have to try pretty hard (I've slept onj rocks and stone floors of Bothi's without damage), you can pick them up dead cheap on Ebay and they are well worth the money.
Hope that helps
Phil.

[hootchi]

I was also wondering about the arctic/royal marine bags. they are not breathable, nylon/PVC so do they sweat, but they are quater of the price.

nows a good time for bivvy bags on ebay coz who wants to go bivving in the rain. except us!!

[bambodoggy]

Lol.....only used the old arctic ones once and that was once to often, they may perform better when actually in the arctic but I used mine on Hankley common in May and was as wet as I would have been sleeping in my shower at home!

Stick to the OG Gortex ones from ebay, you should get one for about £20.

Lets hope we get some proper cold weather this winter!!! Happy camping everyone!

Phil.

[hootchi]

Do the gore tex ones sweat at all. even a drop? I havent used one before and need to hear from someone else.

[Adi007]

How heavy is heavy? 700g? 1KG?

If they are the same ones as I had from USMC, they are about 300 g (10 oz).

[Adi007]

Do the gore tex ones sweat at all. even a drop? I havent used one before and need to hear from someone else.

I've only really had the minimal amount of moisture in my bivvy bags when using them - I've found them to be very good indeed.

[Gary]

Minimal moisture - I'm saying nothing ......... pampers!

Never had a moisture problem with the good old britiah army one though! Cheap, tough and reliable. ack:

[Adi007]

Minimal moisture - I'm saying nothing ......... pampers!

Never had a moisture problem with the good old britiah army one though! Cheap, tough and reliable. ack:

:rolmao:

Just to clarify, I am talking about the british army bivvy ... the others belong to the kids.

[jamesdevine]

Also I forgot a good book on the subject the The Book of the Bivvy by Ronald Turnbull published by Cicerone Books ISBN 1-85284-342-x is well worth the read even for but of laugh and it's small enought to carry with you all do the author would probable copy the pages you want to safe save weight.

James

[wentworth]

If they are the same ones as I had from USMC, they are about 300 g (10 oz).

Are you sure? that would make it... just about the lightest bivvy around (which would be great of course!)
Also, I have a coated nylon floor/goretex upper bivvy. The goretex doesnt get condensation, but the nylon which touches your bag (between the mat and where the goretex starts) gets soaked in sweat.
If you buy a bivvy, make sure at least 60% of it is breathable (so the breathable material curls down to the ground).

[leon-1]

I have one of the newer issued bivvy bags, I would like to say nice things about it, but apart from being huge it is not as efficient at transmitting vapour as the old ones.

The newer ones are easier to get in and out of because of the bellows effect on the mouth of the bivvy and it is even larger than the old OG one. They weigh more and are larger to pack though.

The old ones were very basic (no frills), but that goes in its favour, the old principle of KISS was applied very well to it and as they say don't try and fix what's not broke. :wink:

With both bags treat them like any other breathable fabric when washing (use pure soap or an equivalent) and they will serve you well, but the older one really has the edge in my opinion :wave:

[tomtom]

i think i have the same one as you Leon-1 or one likw it, its a newer one and and its pretty :***: useless when it come to wicking! as well as being huge, it has this bizzar built on stuf sack that is about 80% too big for it (is that feature of all of them?) which i can fit my tarp and sleeping bag in!

[masongary44]

Whatever you go with, dont sleep with your head inside the bag. Regardless of how breathable the fabric is it is not gonna transport the amount of moisture you breath out....!!! and in cold weather it could cause you quite serious problems

[Adi007]

Whatever you go with, dont sleep with your head inside the bag. Regardless of how breathable the fabric is it is not gonna transport the amount of moisture you breath out....!!! and in cold weather it could cause you quite serious problems

Yeah - no matter how good your fabric, it ain't gonna pump out condensed water - breathable fabrics only transport water vapor.

[bambodoggy]

As I said I have the older OG Brit Army bag and find it's fab..... I wouldn't say I close it totally but I pull the draw cord as tight as I can over my head (I've tried to close it fully and simply can't anyway) and then roll over so the opening is on the ground.....I once slept in the pouring rain on a sheep trail on the side of Pen-Y-Fan in a 1" deep puddle without getting wet at all....well, no more than a slight damp patch where the puddle seeped in the top.....not an ideal camp site I know but that's where we were told to sleep.....oh to be back in the army!!!!

Also, the price seems to have dropped on ebay to about a tenner now that the newer dpm ones are coming through on the market.

Happy sleeping all....

Phil.